Blessing Egbe's "The Women" is funny and consistently entertaining

"The Women" doesn't pretend to be a deep or original movie. It's a lot of fun, and sometimes that's enough.

With her previous works such as

Egbe's new ensemble film “The Women,” offers an honest insight into marriage and friendship in the lives of four couples.

With the tagline "where two or three women are gathered, there is war," the movie follows the events that occur when a group of women and their partners decide to go on a weekend getaway for a birthday party.

Omo (Ufuoma McDermott), a pretentious lady married to Maro (Anthony Monjaro) is celebrating her "40th" birthday. She wants a lavish party, but due to financial constraints, she settles for a low-key party.

There are three other women in this movie, all of whom are just as messed up as Omo. She invites these friends and their spouses - The haughty celebrity Teni (Omoni Oboli), who is married to Bez (Kalu Ikeagwu); the blunt and insecure Rose (Katherine Obiang) married to a workaholic, Ayo (Femi Branch); and the whisperer, Ene (Kate Henshaw), who is married to an unrefined but rich businessman, Chubby (Gregory Ojefua).

In this movie, the men aren't the problem. Save for Bez, the rest appear kind and supportive. The women display the problematic behaviour.

At the celebratory dinner party for Omo, Teni discovers that her husband sponsored the party. Her outrage triggers a rapid flow of secret-telling amongst the women that leads to a disastrous night.

The plot is hardly original. There have been several films where the writer brings characters together using the popular getaway trope. Of course, these getaways always go horribly awry. Take for instance, "Why did I get Married" and "The Best Man's Holiday".

Despite "The Women's huge dose of humour, characters such as Teni and Rose are strengthened with enough depth to make their plight seem legit; the plot of a teenager, who out of hardship, was forced to become a porn star and carry out series of abortions, gives "The Women" a sort of emotional investment.

Amid the conversations over adultery, depression and deceit, the cast delivers remarkable performances. There is, in a clearly visible way, Gregory Ojefua as the wealthy unrefined husband, who steals every scene he finds himself in.

With sharp comic timing that keeps the laughs coming, the cast breathes life into the story. Their chemistry makes “The Women” a journey well worth taking. The couple vibe between Kate and Ayo is ridiculously entertaining. The relationship between Ene and Chubby - who is funny with his dumb acts - produces enough laughs.

From depression, fake lifestyle and infidelity, the movie has fun with various topics which Egbe casually tosses out. She doesn't go deep into all of them. She simply drops them to start a conversation among the audience.

'Can these marriages be saved?' This is the question raised by this film after the credits roll.

“The Women” has its share of awkward sound issues, but not enough to distract you from its consistently entertaining plot, which moves at a swift pace that doesn’t leave room for boredom.

It isn't a deep or original movie. But, "The Women" is a lot of fun, and sometimes that's enough.